How Many Kinds Of Travel Can You Count?
by CayshaGriffin
Summary: When the doctor gets a rash of suprise visitors just appearing in the Tardis, he stumbles upon a way to get back to Rose. Happens after Doomsday. DoctorRose
1. Remains of the Day

Author's Note: This takes place right after Doomsday. Want to get this out before Christmas. AU for obvious reasons. And for this story that is very ironic.

It is now going on 2 in the morning and I figured I'd throw this story out and see what I get. First Dr. Who story and probably the shortest chapter I've ever written. So please forgive me, and also forgive that I'm obviously American. So If I get any slang wrong or common Brittish terms go wonky please go ahead and see to punishment. Thank you. Enjoy! And please review.

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The doctor rubbed at his temples and let out an aching groan. He'd just gotten rid of bridezilla without any explanation as to how she'd gotten on the Tardis in the first place. Just wonderful. 

Now, stretched out with his trainers propped up on the control station of the Tardis, the doctor tried to figure out how the woman had so suddenly appeared. It had never happened before as far as he knew.

The headache, a combination of too much thinking and the brides earlier shrieking was not getting any better. Because ontop of all that recent mess, the last few days events and the new deafening silence in the Tardis weighed on his thoughts as well.

The doctor raked his fingers through now messy brown locks.

'Am I ginger?'

' No. You're just sorta brown.'

The doctor gave a bitter laugh as the little snatch of memory invaded. It wasn't helping.

He could of easily taken the lady in the bridal wear with him. Shown her all the things he had shown to all his traveling companions before and more. Just like he always promised them. Just so he could have the company for however short lived it was.

But looking around the Tardis, at the things Rose had left behind.

It was the little things. The baubles the two of them had picked up from different planets and time periods, a hair band she'd worn during one of their many escapades, and the memories. The memories lingered and held onto this place the strongest, along with her smell.

Closing his eyes, the doctor took a deep breath and welcomed the scent he had always identified as Rose Tyler. Suprsingly it had no flowery sweetness to it at all. It was a mixture of air dried clothing, peppermint and mascara.

He smirked, his eyes still shut as he recognized his own smell mixed in with hers. It had rubbed off on her with all the hugs they'd shared and the times when she was so scared she'd cling onto his coat or arm for reassurance.

But the more he focused on the memories that made him smile, where all he had to do was reach out and find her hand there ready to twine his fingers with, he also remembered the reason his hand felt so cold now.

She was gone.

He would of dealt with it better if Rose had just stayed with everyone on Pete's world the first time. He should of known she'd never let him send her away. Instead he ended up losing her. He wasn't even given a chance to say what he'd kept inside for so long now, even time had stolen away those words.

Somewhere deep down the doctor knew that he didn't have to tell her. Rose knew, just as he'd known her feelings. But he'd wanted her to hear. It would of made her smile.

The doctor smirked and shook his head. He'd give anything now to see that smile of hers. The way her tongue would poke out between her teeth and her eyes would scrunch up as she'd give him a playful push. The one he always tried to coax out of her was that smile.

'What's that ringing?'

The doctor furrowed his brow at the random thought that brought his attention to the actual ringing sound that was now filling the Tardis. Before he had time to look for the noise a bright light flashed in the ship and blinded the good doctor, instinctively forcing him to shield his eyes against whatever had just happened.

When the ringing stopped just as suddenly as it had started, the doctor cautiously opened his eyes and blinked away the white spots floating about his vision.

" Well that was an unwelcome wake up," he mumbled to himself with a dazed look on his face as he surveyed what damage the light show had caused.

What he did see wasn't harmful to his Tardis but it did no good for his mood.

" No! No! No! No!" The doctor half whined half yelled as he saw the woman sprawled rather ungracefully on the ground where she'd no doubt landed.

" I just got rid of one of you already and I'm not gonna be any nicer to you then I was to her," he said sternly, gesturing off to the side as if the bride was still there to aim such comments at. " At least you're not in all that veil and gown getup. Not the bloke to be taken to a shot gun wedding without a few things to say about it I'll have you know..."

The doctor halted in his rant for a moment when he got a better look at the woman who was staring up at him in open disbelief. The doctor practically jumped over to where she sat staring at his shoes and crouched in front of her. Completely forgetting in his curiosity what personal space was as he inspected her features.

" Hold on a minute," he said thoughtfully, leaning down to squint his eyes at her. " I know you."


	2. When TV and Time Collide

Author's Note: This is going to be a bit confusing, please hold on tight and make sure you are fastened in securely. Cause this is the reason the story is labeled Romance/ Humor. Carmen is an original character, so don't go looking for a show called Dimenshia. All will become clear later in the story, so no worries if doesn't in this chapter. It's not supposed to.

Rose will be in the next chapter and Rose/ Doctor will come later. This chapter will be...interesting, I promise. I give full permission to flame me if you think it is necessary. But as always, enjoy and review!

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The woman staring up at him was a far cry from the one the doctor had just booted off his ship.

Short black hair that just touched her chin and vivid blue eyes that looked like Alaskan ice caps. She was dressed in a pair of cargo pants, a simple grey tank and a denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up. On her right wrist was a strange looking data pad that was beeping incessantly.

And for all the world he couldn't shake the nagging familiarity she presented to him. It was obvious they'd never met before but he knew her none the less.

" Hello Doctor," the woman suddenly said and the time lord realized she was smiling at him. He had to double take on her voice, it was so obviously American. 'Did she just called me doctor?'

Before she could even blink, the doctor had a familiar glowing object pointed at her.

" Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?"

The doctor's voice was not friendly or welcoming to this stranger. She had appeared out of nowhere and knew who he was. Things like this never bodded well.

But even with a alien weapon pointed at her, the woman eyes seemed to light up at the word ship. She quickly took in her surroundings and chuckled.

" That's right I'm on the Tardis aren't I?"

" I asked you a question," The doctor reminded her and she had to blink when he practically shoved the sonic screwdriver in her face as some sort of a threat.

" Oh come on, we both know that thing is better as a lockpick then a laser gun," she scoffed. " So please get it out of my face."

The doctor backed off, not entirely sure how to take that. After Torchwood, he realized that people were in fact watching him very closely. Who's to say she wasn't one of their operatives who hadn't been killed during the cyberman/dalek invasion? He didn't want to think of that day. Not now.

Right now he had one thing to do. Eject this suprise guest from the Tardis.

Unfortunately after coming to this resolution the doctor found that the woman was no longer where he'd left her.

" So what happens if I press this button?"

The doctor nearly had a heart attack when he whipped around to see the woman standing at the Tardis's control station with a mischievous smirk on her face.

" Just kidding," she said and backed away from the controls before the livid doctor decided to pounce her and toss her out the door while they were still in space.

" That's enough, now answer my question. Who are you?"

There was no arguing with the tone of the doctor's voice now, he was beyond losing his patience. If she didn't answer pretty soon there would be hell to pay.

" I'm the cheeky American," she said matter of factly.

" Really? I didn't know there was just one."

" Only one who likes to mess with other dimensions," she said dismissively while she stared at one of the masses of wiring under the floor grates. But not a moment after she said that her eyes locked on his and widened in disbelief.

The doctor's face suddenly lit up when it dawned on him. " That's it!" He said, jumping up so quickly from where he was still crouched that it startled the woman. " That's who you are. Carmen Gentry from Dimenshia! The show about parallel dimensions jumping. Oooh, I love that show! Completely impossible mind you but still fantastic to watch..."

Carmen, the woman in question was still watching him with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment. 'He's like a hyper puppy on sugar.'

Carmen just shook her head and smiled. Though she had to wrinkle her nose at the name of her so called show. 'Dimenshia! Ugh!'

"I didn't know what to expect when I made this jump. But the last thing I expected was to find was the tables turned on me."

" What do you mean by that?" The doctor asked curiously.

" Well where I come from, and I mean my own dimension when I say that. We have a fun little show called Dr. Who. All about a time lord who simply goes by the title of doctor and instead of dying regenerates himself a new body. I believe you're on your tenth regeneration at the moment aren't you doctor?"

Carmen looked like the cat that ate the canary as she watched the doctor mull that over in his head. It was really fun to watch him go from confusion to the toothy grin that was plastered on his face now.

" What? You mean people turn on their telly to watch me? Blimey." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and laughing. " That's just mind boggling that is."

" You even have your own song," Carmen continued and started snapping her fingers. " It gets stuck in your head too. ' Dr. who...Dr. Who, Dr. Who...The Tardis.'"

It was a bit ridiculous to see the two travelers standing there. The dimension traveler singing and jumping around while the time traveler bounced on his heels like a kid at a carnival.

" That's brilliant, just bloody brilliant. But I only get one verse... I mean it's very catchy yeah. But only one?"

Carmen laughed. " Well aren't you greedy? You should be happy with just the one verse."

" Well there always could be more." He said sheepishly. " I could of easily come up with that."

The doctor watched as he lost Carmen's attention all of a sudden. She looked around the Tardis in search of something.

The two travelers immediately sobered when they realized who was missing. Carmen gave him an apologetic look.

" I really wanted to meet her too. I'm sorry..."

" It's not your fault, why are you apologizing?" The doctor asked as he brushed past her to fiddle with something on the controls that didn't look like it needed to be fiddled with.

Carmen watched him do anything but look at her. The conversation from before was gone and it was suprising how neither of them had any questions for each other. But the discussion on Rose was obviously off limits. Maybe.

" Can I make a deal with you doctor?"

The doctor looked up and narrowed his eyes.

" Completely depends upon the stakes I think."

" Oh no worries, it won't cost you anything you don't already do on a regular basis," Carmen reassured him.

" And that would be?"

" I want to travel back to a particular date on earth. That's all, just one trip back and forth before I move on to the next dimension."

The doctor started to say something about that but Carmen stopped him.

" Why is my business. By the time you take me there though, your end of the bargain will be paid in full. I promise."

He could tell by her tone there was no getting it out of her at this point. But who knew how long he had to pry it out of her later.

" You haven't told me what I get in return for this little trip you're planning." The doctor was curious as to what Carmen was offering.

Carmen merely smiled.

" If you take me on this one trip I'll help you get Rose back."


	3. Reflect

Disclaimer: Dr. Who does not belong to me. Carmen Gentry does. Enough said.

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Across dimensions Rose Tyler looked up at the stars from the window of her new flat. She'd gotten the place not long after they arrived back in 'Pete's World'. Rose still called it that because it brought a smile to her face every time when she heard the doctor's voice in her head repeating it with that infectious grin. It also reminded her this wasn't her world, she wasn't supposed to exist here.

Every night she would look up at the stars and name all the planets he had shown her. Rose wondered if any of the creatures she knew were here, if they led the same lives or they would even still stand on the same side in battle. Was she even more alone then she'd first guessed?

Sighing, Rose set her mug down on the counter and tried to dispel the chaos that was starting to open inside her mind again. She had to release it.

Going to the small desk she had in the living room, Rose pulled a ledger sized journal out of the drawer and opened it to today's date. Taking a calming breath she started the entry.

_Dear Doctor,_

_Mum says I'm crazy to be writing to you every day. But she doesn't understand it's what's keeping me sane. I've haven't admitted to myself that you'll never come back, though in the back of my head there's this nagging voice that tells me it's true. But I have to believe that someday you'll come across this book and you'll know, you'll know I never wanted to give up on you. _

_I still hear your voice when I'm alone. Suprisingly it doesn't make me sad like I thought it would, it's comforting to think you're whispering in my ear. Pointing out stars and saying 'Want to go there next Rose?'. Silly I know, but ya got to let a girl have her fantasies right?_

_Work at Torchwood's not so bad. I know a bit more then the experts do, having traveled with you and met so many species face to face. Thankfully we've stopped from having any wars against earth so far since we've either deemed the visiting race peaceful or taken care of the problem diplomatically. I know you'd be proud, we haven't fired a weapon yet, well, not lethally anyway._

_Mom and Pete are doing okay. Baby's due in a few months which means I'll be a big sister in a bit. Sounds strange to me, to be a sister to someone. Don't know how good I'll be at it, though I should have a load of good stories to tell the baby when it gets older. How'd you feel about being the dashing hero for a toddler? _

_Mickey is best off here then the lot of us. In the time we were gone he made the preachers into a serious group. Can you imagine it, Mickey leading a mini army? It also turns out he's got a girl. Tara and Mickey are engaged now, they met not long after he showed up. He wouldn't even tell me about her till a month ago. It was good of him though, trying to give me time before I had to see another happy couple flaunted in front of me. _

_Mom, Pete, Mickey. They try to hide how happy they are because they know I'm not. I miss you so much. I want to hear you laugh and your ridiculous ranting. Ranting that meant nothing but was so fun to listen to. _

The clock on her mantle gave a miniature chime to announce it was almost midnight. Rose looked at it with bleary eyes, luckily the pages hadn't been stained with tears this time. She would need to get sleep tonight so she could make it through the day at work tomorrow.

_I have to go now Doctor, back to reality I guess. But I'll leave another entry tomorrow. _

_I love you,_

_Rose  
_

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_Meanwhile... _

" You can't do that, the cracks are sealed there's no way to get to the dimension without destroying it and this reality!"

" Yes, those are the rules you have to follow doctor, not me. I work by a totally different set and they clearly dictate that I can slip through without damaging a thing. If I get you to Rose or vise versa my way then nothing will go wrong." Carmen snapped back, trying very hard to control the level of her voice.

" Only completely changing the fabric of time and history in both worlds by me being there!" The doctor stated and continued to pace on the lower level of the control room while Carmen watched from her perch on the railing. He was making her dizzy.

" That world is already changed because the Tyler's and Mickey are there. And last time I saw there were none of those time cleansing monsters you guys faced last time you altered something major." She reasoned.

The doctor glared at her. " Not yet, we don't know what's going on in that world. And by the way, thank you. Now I have another thing to worry about."

He was going to say more but as he passed by her again Carmen had finally had enough. Untwining her legs from around the bars she quickly wrapped them around the doctor's hips and pulled him to her. Shocking the alien man in to silence and finally making sure that Carmen had his undivided attention. Why did men have to be so difficult?

She gave him a look that very clearly said 'talk and you'll regret it'.

" There is only one thing you have to ask yourself. What is the most important thing in this world and next to you? If you could have anything, what would it be?"

The doctor was silent, his eyes intense on hers because she was right. He shouldn't care what the cost was if he loved her enough to try. Who knew, they may actually get to kiss, a proper kiss before the world collapsed around them.

" Fine."

Carmen grinned from ear to ear. Releasing her hold on the poor doctor; she spun around on the railing and got back on her feet, heading for the control station.

" All right then, now we have options to discuss."

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Author's Note: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. But I'm headed on a trip and I'm not sure when I'll get to post in the next week or so. Though you'd all want an update before then. This is the Rose chapter I promised. You'll see a lot more entries with her like this in the future.

This story will be a long one. It's not a quick they get together piece. It's a whole trip. And no, there will be no DoctorOC romance. Sometimes the only way to get a man to listen is put him in a situation he can't get out of without embarrassing himself. Lol. Please read and review, see you next chapter.


	4. Decisions, Decisions

Author's Note: So everyone... hi! Took me a bit longer to write this chapter. Finally got it on a roll, can't wait to throw the monkey wrench in this trip. Lol. Hope I made this fun and convincing enough, I love this whole explanation so much. Hope you do too. As always read and review, I do live off critique you know.

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" Look, there are three options. Comment if you like while I name them but let me finish talking before you start rambling off . All right?" 

" Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Thought not, get on with it."

Carmen smiled and lifted the data pad on her arm up. In all the excitement the doctor had forgotten about the familiar gadget. On the show, it had been strapped to the actresses arm with strips of Velcro. The screen and assortment of buttons going from wrist to elbow. The doctor had always wondered how the actress had dealt with the burden of the clunky thing. But the real Carmen's dimensional transporter was sleek and appeared light. The size of a psp screen, half actually holding a screen while the other half was an array of specially labeled buttons the doctor couldn't decipher.

He remembered the gadgets name. It was fitting. Feronia, the goddess of travel.

Carmen punched a sequence of numbers and the data pad beeped in answer.

" Feronia, I need my luggage please."

After another series of beeps and squeaks the light that had announced Carmen's appearance flashed through the Tardis again.

While the doctor recovered, Carmen leapt to retrieve what had just popped into existence.

It was just a plain nike duffel bag.

" Well that's different," the doctor commented matter of factly.

Carmen unzipped the bag and began to rifle through it.

" Easy, convenient and it doesn't shout 'dimension traveler goodie bag'." She said as she pulled out what suspiciously looked like a vcr cable and a folded piece of plastic.

" Not as conspicuous as say...a police call box."

" Oi, it isn't that bad. People usually pass right by the Tardis without even noticing her." The doctor was a bit insulted by the playful jab. The Tardis was fine the way it was.

Carmen just laughed at his wounded pride and snapped open the folded plastic to reveal a desktop keyboard.

"Just keep out of the US if you want to stay off the radar. The only place there that still has telephone booths is Boston. And they aren't bright blue."

The doctor decided to ignore that and instead looked pointedly at the keyboard in Carmen's hand.

" What?" Carmen asked and followed his gaze. She narrowed her eyes at him when she got his train of thought. " My holoboard broke, give me a break. It may be old but it works."

" Well... I could fix it...if you let me that is."

He gave her a cocky grin after the offer and Carmen defiantly plugged the keyboard into Feronia.

" Options," she said as if she'd never lost her train of thought. " You have three of them. But there are some risks that you need to take into consideration..." Carmen's brow furrowed as she looked at the Tardis console board. " Input, output?" She suddenly asked, holding up one end of the vcr cable to the doctor.

He looked at it doubtfully for a moment. The doctor had made the final decision that he'd at least try, so there was nothing he should complain about. Anyway, if Carmen was lying and she couldn't' do this then the Tardis would reject Feronia or fry the smaller machine from the inside out. All in all, it was the dimensional travelers loss, not his.

He plugged into the Tardis and the two machines started to beep in unison. Both screens synchronizing images of Feronia's main page. He had to brush off the amazement at how easy that had been.

It was set then, he had to trust her now.

" What are the risks?"

Carmen sighed in relief and set Feronia on the Tardis's control station. They were an odd merge of different technologies but they accepted each other, that was good. Carmen was thankful she didn't have to tell the doctor that she couldn't do what she was preaching. The plan would work now.

" Right, risks. The first thing you should know is this would be a one way trip. I can easily go back and forth through dimensions myself. But for some reason piggy backers can't. Where ever we land, you stay. Even if things go wrong. Understood?"

Carmen was firm with this downfall to the kind of travel she was involved with. The doctor wrinkled his nose at the notion but nodded. They would have to do it right the first time or it was all for nothing.

" Second, there is a chance things will go wrong. So keep that in mind when you choose okay?"

" And what are those options?" The doctor encouraged. He felt a headache coming on just from waiting for Carmen to get to the point.

Carmen scowled. " Geeze, you're impatient."

She purposely delayed by typing some equations on her keyboard and kindly requesting some information from the Tardis. But after catching a glance of the time lord out of the corner of her eye as he rubbed tiredly at his head she decided it was time to start acting like an adult for a few minutes at least. The doctor was not having the best of days and she wasn't improving it so far.

Swiveling in the chair she'd confiscated, Carmen put her full attention on the doctor who's head snapped up immediately.

" All right, here they are. Option one, I go to the dimension Rose is currently residing in and bring her here, to her original dimension of origin. I can do this in ten minutes, not counting the time it would take to explain it all to her, get her packed and say goodbye to everyone..."

" Not possible."

" Well that's good, now why?" Carmen was a bit miffed for being cut off but let it slide.

" I won't separate Rose from her family and friends. It would be forcing her to stay with me without anyone else to turn to. I can not and will not put her in that kind of situation if I can help it."

Carmen could tell by the tone of his voice and his straight faced expression that it was never going to be an option. He wanted her to have the freedom to choose him or something else.

" Moving on, option two. I can take 'you' to Rose's current dimension instead. It would be just as quick as the last option. But I would only be able to take you, not the Tardis. It would have to stay behind." She said apologetically.

" Last option."

Carmen nodded. She hadn't expected him to take that one either for obvious reasons. The Tardis was both his and Rose's life, she couldn't imagine those two without the machine.

" The last one would get both you and the Tardis to Rose. It would take much longer to do then the first two options though. It's one of the set backs."

" How long?" The doctor asked.

Carmen shrugged. " It depends on how cooperative the Tardis is. I need to collect data from when you accidentally crashed into the dimension the first time, that way I have a destination to safely take the Tardis to without causing any misfires or tears in the dimensions." Carmen felt she had to explain. " It's easy to take people through, they don't make much of a difference. We would just slip through and whatever we did would mend itself right behind us. But an object like the Tardis is a bigger feat, one I need to do some tricky jumping around to accomplish."

The doctor screwed up his face and thought that over.

" So you need the Tardis to do time jumping during all this?"

The doctor was getting frustrated now. Usually he could catch on to what was going on fairly quickly. But Carmen's explanation only helped to confuse him.

" No, the Tardis is going to help me make the calculations on what dimension and what planet to land on. When I mean jumping, I mean dimension jumping. We need a middle dimension to safely jump from so we don't break through the delicate seal you created during the void stuff vaccum you created."

" But you said I'd be stuck in whatever dimension I ended up in," the doctor quickly interjected. " Won't I get trapped in the mid dimension?"

" Well that's the thing. You only get stuck if you stay too long." Carmen said with a smile, seeing that the doctor was in fact getting it now. " The safest amount of time a none dimensional traveler can stay in a new parallel without getting caught is an hour. That's why the trip is so tricky. We only have an hour to get there, re enter the new calculations and take off again."

Carmen stopped and waited for all the facts to sink in.

The doctor's eyes had unfocused a bit while she'd been talking, his mind going over all the possible hitches and miscalculations possible if he said yes. It was a long shot and the more Carmen talked, the longer the shot became. He could be stranded in a strange parallel dimension for the rest of his few regeneration's without any hope of leaving.

Then he thought of Rose. His wonderful Rose and her smile. His hearts nearly did a back flip when he thought of just showing up in front of her with the Tardis and taking her in his arms, kissing her. Those things were possible if he only took the risk.

Carmen was not expecting what came next as she was suddenly lifted off her feet and being twirled around the Tardis by a giddy time lord. She barely had time to hold onto his shoulders for support before she was back on terra ferma and the doctor smiled down at her.

" Option three it is, nothing like a good impossible feat to fill out the day."

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After Author Note: No worries, I've not forgotten Rose. She gets a piece in the next chapter and I won't leave her out of this story in anyway. Carmen and the Doctor are doing all the work so they get more face time, Rose will get a lot of fun face time soon enough though. 


	5. Pleasant Suprises

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay folks. I had a hard time finding to time to write with the tour going on. But when I sat down to finally write this chapter it just kept going and I had to re edit, go back, adjust this, erase that. It was the chapter that never ended. And for good reason. Heres the romance ladies and gentlemen. I hope you like it.

As always please read and review. I want to hear what you think about this chapter in particular. Enjoy!

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He watched from afar, not getting too close incase the illusion disappeared. He wasn't sure what this was supposed to be but he knew what it was to him. Torture.

She was a vision standing there on the beach, bundled up in a grey jacket with faux fur lining that didn't even look like it was doing it's job to keep her warm. There was trails of mascara and tears running down her pale cheeks and he wanted so badly to brush them away. But something held him back, telling him to wait.

The doctor knew what was coming, even from a distance he could hear Rose force out her confession of love. This moment would haunt him forever no matter what. How he'd lost the chance to tell her.

The hologram of himself faded and doctor expected the memory would too. In a way he hoped it would, he didn't want to see her cry when there was nothing he could do.

"Rose..."

The name was whispered. He hadn't meant for her to hear. But his wonderful, beautiful crying Rose...she heard him. Blonde hair flying as she turned to stare at him with wide, tear filled eyes.

Oh, he'd have to be a cold one to walk away from that face.

The doctor opened his arms and smiled. It was all she needed. Rose ran as if her life depended on it, crossing the distance between them in seconds.

What the doctor expected was the light, airy weight of a dream thing. Something that would disappear the moment he touched it. Not the very real weight of Rose Tyler's body coming in contact with his own. Which is why when the latter happened, the doctor was nearly thrown off balance with Rose clutching onto him for dear life.

" You're real! How can you be real?!" Rose cried, sounding just as confused as the doctor felt. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and he sighed at the familiar sensation of having her so close. " Isn't this just a dream?" She asked quietly, as if the words would break the spell.

" I don't know..." He said in disbelief before wrapping his arms around her tighter. " And I don't really care."

"Doctor, this can't be real. You told me it was impossible."

The doctor laughed and their was a hint of strain in it as he pulled away to look at her. Her face was still tear streaked but right beneath he saw that smile.

"Rose Tyler, always questioning everything. Never happy with what she's got." The doctor said with a cheeky grin.

That sealed the deal, Rose smiled at him. The one he'd been waiting to see ever since they parted.

The doctor smoothed back the hair from her face. " My beautiful Rose," he said affectionately.

Rose tried to bow her head to hide the blush that was tinting her cheeks but he wouldn't allow it. Cradling her face in his hands so there was nothing for her to do but lean into his touch. It was all so real.

" Rose, listen to me before we run out of time." The doctor said seriously and Rose's expression sobered. It was a terrible revelation for them that this would end soon but they had to acknowledge it. " This won't be the last time we see each other..."

The doctor waited, letting his words trail off as he watched Rose's eyes brighten with the beginning of hope. Seeing this the doctor plowed on, his excitement building with each word.

" I found a way, well she actually popped up on my ship but still I found a way. Isn't that brilliant?!"

" Found a way for what?" Rose asked, all the time wondering who 'she' was. Even though he was here now it unnerved her that there may be another woman onboard the Tardis with him.

" A way to rocket through parallel worlds like a rusty old roller coaster, the ones that scare ya to death at the carnivals when you think their going to go right off the tracks." The doctor's hands had left Rose's face now and were imitating the motion of his metaphor. Instead of realizing that she'd lost physical contact with the doctor, Rose was caught up in the rhythm of his words, the excitement that was now filling her as he dragged out the explanation in his dramatic way. " Except we're traveling through completely different universes, the long way round to one exact point we chart out that if we miss can get us trapped in an entirely different world for all eternity."

" I don't understand doctor. How is this going to make it possible to see each other again?" Rose asked. Even though the old adrenaline was pumping through her veins, she couldn't grasp the meaning of it all.

The doctor smiled and his eyes held that mad glint they often did when he had a master plan in the works.

" Because the coordinates for landing in the end is Pete's World, your world. Right smack in the middle of London, where ever you might be."

Rose felt like her heart had stopped. " But you said..."

" I know what I said," The doctor cut her off and smiled. " Turns out I was wrong."

Rose gave a happy squeal of laughter and threw her arms around the doctor's neck, he didn't even hesitate in returning the embrace. They held on a little longer then usual, reacquainting themselves with an act that used to be an every day for them before.

" How much longer do we have?" He heard Rose whisper from where her cheek rested on his shoulder.

The doctor shook his head. " I'm not sure..." He hesitated now and Rose sensed it. Pulling away to look at him inquisitively.

" Rose, in case this doesn't work." The doctor rushed on and stopped only long enough to take a breath to do his confession justice.

But Rose beat him to the punch and quickly covered his mouth with her hand. Not in a gentle loving way either, it was like she was stopping her kid brother from telling a secret. The doctor's eyebrows shot up in suprise.

" Wa dee u ooo tha furr?"

It turned out to be very hard trying to speak past Rose's hand.

Rose shook her head and fixed the doctor with a hard stare.

" No more confessions until I feel the Tardis under my feet and I know that you won't disappear again. It's fair to ask that at least."

Rose removed her hand from the doctor's mouth to see a grin there. She felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards at the sight of it.

" You trust me that much?" The doctor asked with a mocking raise of his eyebrow. Rose just grinned at him and her eyes said it all.

" Well if you won't let me say anything there's only one thing for it really." The doctor said and playfully waggled his eyebrows at her.

Rose didn't have time to even ask what that was before the doctor leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

It was a gentle almost hesitant kiss and he waited for her. Gently brushing his lips against hers until he heard a gaspy breath escape Rose, quickly followed with her willing mouth against his. There was a distinct thrill like a pleasant kick to the chest when he felt her eagerly return the kiss.

It was new ground for the both of them and for a few seconds that made the kiss clumsy. All need and blind passion. It wasn't a kiss from a

possessed woman or a way to save their lives. It was just a kiss. Funny how that made it more meaningful for them.

The doctor slid his arms around Rose's waist and brought her closer, turning his head to the side slightly to give her the proper kiss she deserved. He could feel Rose's hands threading through his hair, her fingers brushing against his scalp. He didn't want it to end.

There were tears on his face, he could taste their salt on his lips as they kissed.

'_Oh Rose, please don't cry' ._

But he could feel it to. The tugging at his body that told him it was over, in a few seconds she wouldn't be there in his arms. Instead of pulling away to say anything they held onto each other tighter, not even relinquishing the kiss to say goodbye. They had decided there was not going to be anymore goodbye's.

Suddenly there was a flash of light that even penetrated their closed eyelids and they were gone. The only thing left was the lonely, cold beach. A place of endings and new beginnings.

-----------

The doctor sat up so quickly his head made a loud thud against the control board he'd fallen asleep under. Cursing in a few different languages foreign to the human tongue, the doctor stood and straightened his suit jacket.

Wincing, he reached up to touch the new bump on his head. " Yes," he hissed. " That's going to smart for a while."

The doctor quickly played casual and looked around to make sure Rose hadn't caught him being stupid. But it only took him a second to remember.

Was it really a dream?

Something tickled at the doctor's senses. He sniffed at the air like a curious dog before he realized the smell was coming from him. The doctor flipped up the lapel of his coat and pressed it against his nose. Peppermint, mascara and salt from her tears from where she'd pressed her face against his shoulder.

The doctor took a shaky breathe and licked his lower lip. He could taste salt there as well and Rose's lip gloss. The warmth of her still ringing against his own body. Dreams don't leave behind these residues.

" So, do you not have a room of your own on this ship?"

The doctor was so caught off by Carmen's intruding voice that he must of stared at her very dumbly.

The para dimension traveler was standing in the doorway that separated the control room from the rest of the Tardis. Instead of her jean and t-shirt outfit from yesterday , Carmen was decked out in black sweats, a red camisole and sweater to match. Her short black hair held back from her face by a headband which made her alaskan blue eyes stand out and seem to pierce through you. But she had a mischievous smirk on her face which ruined the otherwise imposing eyes and two coffee mugs in her hands.

The doctor had enough free space in his mind to think she looked very at home for someone who had only so far spent on night on the Tardis.

The doctor had told Carmen last night that it was too late for her to start working on the calculations she needed and sent her off to bed. He'd set her up in Jack's old room, it hadn't been used since the time agents departure but Carmen didn't seem to mind. She'd commented on him needing sleep too but he'd pushed the suggestion away with needing to tinker with the Tardis.

But the doctor had fallen asleep as well and not in the normal fashion, it had been too sudden to be natural. Not that he was complaining about the outcome.

As for Carmen's early morning question.

" You found the kitchen?"

It wasn't very tactful but it would buy him time to collect some rational thinking power. But Rose's lips kept springing back into his mind and he didn't have the will power to push the image away.

Carmen gave him a look that almost made the doctor think she could read minds. But instead of commenting on his far away attitude she just set one of the mugs in his hands.

" It wasn't that hard. I know my way around a space ship." She said and raised her own mug in a toast. " Tea for you, cocoa for me. I thought you'd need it."

The doctor's attention was suddenly focused again by Carmen's words. He looked at her and saw that her blue eyes were in fact lined with red. Bloodshot eyes for a woman who had a full nights sleep?

" Didn't get much sleep last night?" He asked pointedly.

Carmen didn't answer, she just laughed and walked over to the chair she'd claimed yesterday and turned on Feronia who was still hooked up to the Tardis.

" I cheated last night and got some work done after all," Carmen admitted.

" Thank you." The doctor said.

Carmen looked up from the monitor but she didn't say anything.

The doctor gave her a smile that she couldn't help returning. It was so familiar to her.

" I don't know how you did it...but thank you."

Carmen nodded. " I was happy to do it."

Anything the doctor might have said in response was drowned out though. Carmen had quickly turned back to her screen and rapid typing now filled the silence. He was grateful to her for that as much as the stolen time he'd given to Rose and him.

He'd pay her back later in someway. But now they had work to do.

---------

Rose sat at her windowsill as the morning sun streamed in through the window. The journal lay open on her lap yet to be written in.

She reached a hand up and brushed them across her lips as if she could feel the phantom kiss. A smile forming under her fingertips as well as a blush. He'd kissed her. Her doctor. And he was coming for her.

Rose felt her heart swell when the memory of his face when he said that came back to her. That determination had saved their lives so many times that she couldn't doubt it now. She'd push the fear down. Because if she didn't , it would overtake her. She'd be strong for him.

Looking down at the blank page in front of her, Rose picked up her pen and started to write.

_Dear Doctor,_

_I'll be waiting for you._

_Love,_

_Rose_

* * *

Afterwards:Okay, how was it? Did y a like the kiss? I hope you liked it , took me forever.

So for all of you who are curious about Carmen and who she is, more of that will be revealed in the next chapter. In fact, a lot of it will be revealed . The doctor is way too curious for his own good for it to stay a mystery for long. And more in depth with Rose later on.


End file.
